Travel News

Passengers can bag a free cruise if they volunteer for new trial sailings.

Royal Caribbean is offering complimentary trips in order to run “mock cruises” to test drive its coronavirus measures.

It’s part of a new set of rules introduced by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which stipulates that cruise lines must demonstrate their Covid protocols are up to scratch by operating trial sailings.

The CDC, which previously banned all cruises in response to the pandemic, advised companies to have “volunteers play the role of passengers to test cruise ship operators’ ability to mitigate Covid-19 risk”.

The idea is part of the CDC’s “framework of actionable items for the cruise line industry to follow” to enable cruising to restart safely.

Royal Caribbean has confirmed it plans to operate its own “mock” cruises with volunteers.

“We are going to be doing a series of sailings using our employees and other volunteers to test out the protocols and make modifications,” Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of sales and trade support, told Cruise Industry News.

However, for those who do manage to nab a free ride, the voyage might not resemble a normal cruise, industry insiders have warned.

“It’s unlikely these test cruises will feel like a standard cruise vacation, as they are designed for lines to assure that protocols in place are effective,” Colleen McDaniel, the editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic, told Travel and Leisure.

Volunteers will be needed for sailings at the beginning of 2021, most likely aboard ships bound for CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s very own private island in the Bahamas.

“While we are eager to welcome our guests back on board, we have a lot to do between now and then, and we’re committed to taking the time to do things right,” the cruise line said in a statement.

“This includes training our crew in new health and safety protocols and conducting a number of trial sailings to stress-test those protocols in real-world conditions.”

The CDC has said companies must demonstrate that they have robust and rigorous health and safety procedures in place, including adherence to social distancing requirements and having adequate testing and quarantine capacity onboard.

BY  Benjamin Parker

The UK Government is being urged to axe its ban on ocean-going cruises by the largest cruise industry trade body, which represents major lines such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival UK. 

This is the first time that Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has publicly called for the move, having previously insisted they were working with various government agencies in a bid to secure the safe resumption of cruising “only when the time is right”.

But now it is calling for cruising to be treated in “line with the rest of the transport industry” in an effort to protect thousands of jobs and support wider economic benefits.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) clarified its guidance in July, warning British nationals against any sea-going cruise ship travel â€“ even if the ship doesn’t leave British waters. It subsequently clarified that river cruises were exempt from this advice.

Andy Harmer, CLIA's UK and Ireland director, said: “CLIA and its cruise line members are working collaboratively with government and health authorities as we plan the safe resumption of cruise operations at the appropriate time based on new safety protocols.

“We are supportive of the government’s wider travel advice, but are now calling for the removal of FCDO’s specific ban on cruising to bring us into line with the rest of the transport industry. That will allow customers to book with confidence again, as well as helping to protect the 88,000 jobs and £10 billion in annual revenue cruising contributes to the UK economy.”

CLIA’s comments come less than two weeks after cruise operators in the US were issued with guidance on a conditional return, as a health authority dropped the ‘no-sail’ order that had been in place since the surge of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

And yesterday the travel industry was boosted by news of a breakthrough in trials for a Covid-19 vaccine, which cruise expert Dave Monk believes could be “huge boost for the cruise sector”.

Jo Rzymowska, the UK managing director of Celebrity Cruises, said earlier today: "We understand this is a pandemic. We understand the health and safety of consumers is paramount, however don't treat cruise any differently to the whole of the rest of the industry.”

Reports emerged this morning that ministers were working to allow cruise ships to sail around the British coast as early as January 2021, with the travel advice changing after a successful restart, however The Telegraph understands that nothing has been confirmed.

•Two accused of attempting to kill governor burst into laughter

From Toba Adedeji, Osogbo 

Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, has lifted the curfew that followed the disruption of peace in the state.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, said citizens can go about their businesses and other transactions beyond 8pm without any hindrance or restrictions with effect from November 11.

She said: “The government has once again observed the level of compliance to all directives aimed at restoring tranquility to our dear state, and hereby appreciates the citizens for their patience and understanding. The government also appreciates security agencies for their efforts in maintaining law and order.

“With effect from November 11, residents are free to go about their businesses without any hindrance or restrictions, while security agencies continue to discharge their duties to forestall breakdown of law and order.

“The government urges every citizen to be wary of actions that can upset the peace and harmony that the state is reputed for, and should not hesitate to provide useful information to security agencies in case of suspicion of violence in any of our communities.

“The government is also calling on parents and guardians to continue to caution their children and wards not to allow themselves to be used by unscrupulous elements to jeopardise the peace of the state.”

A 20-year-old man, Suliyat Tajudeen and Ayomide Abdulazeez, also 20, yesterday burst into laughter in the courtroom, as the clerk read their charge of attempted murder of Governor Oyetola to them.

The accused giggled when the clerk read the count that stated that they attempted to kill the governor by firing guns and pelting him with stones.

But the magistrate cautioned them, saying it seemed they did not know the seriousness of the offence they allegedly committed. They then stopped laughing and bowed their heads, while the clerk continued reading the charge. 

The police arraigned the suspects before an Osun State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Osogbo for conspiracy, attempted murder, malicious damage and burglary.

Prosecutor Mr. John Idoko told the court that Suliyat, Ayomide and others at large on October 17, at Ola-Iya junction, Osogbo, about 4:30pm conspired to attempt to kill Governor Oyetola by firing guns and throwing stones at him.

The accused pleaded not guilty.

Chief Magistrate Ayilara remanded the accused in Ilesha Correctional Facility and adjourned the case till November 20 for ruling on bail application.

He said they unlawfully damaged 17 vehicles in the governor’s convoy, adding that they burgled Justrite Mall and stole laptops, mobile phones and phone accessories valued at N3,568,000million, property of Ashiru Ibrahim Olayemi.

Idoko noted that the offence contravened Section 516, 320(1), 451, 414 and 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Cap 34. Vol II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

The accused pleaded guilty to the six-count charge.

Their lawyer, Mr. Nurudeen Kareem, made an oral bail application for them, assuring the magistrate to provide reliable sureties.

However, the prosecutor opposed the bail application, saying if they are granted bail, they will run away because they (the accused) know that the police have evidence against them.

BY  Joseph Olaoluwa

Lagos Railway District Manager of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Jerry Oche, has said the Lagos-Ibadan railway line will be operational before the Yuletide.

Oche who spoke to our correspondent noted that the track was ready but for some of the station buildings being worked on by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

The NRC boss noted that things were being fashioned to make sure that the track was ready before the year ran out.

He said, “They contractors have not handed over the line. The track is almost ready but the station buildings and communication is not yet ready.

“We cannot run passenger trains because the contractor is still working there. There is a serious discussion with them. So we can hopefully start before Christmas.”

Oche said a few things such as overpasses still needed to be put in the place before the rail starts operating as it should.

He said, “Don’t forget, there is not meant to be any level crossing in Lagos and if we are to run now, overpasses are not ready and underpasses are not ready.

“We must make an alternative arrangement of how to protect the line. Once we do that, we will hit the ground running.”

Regarding the suspension of rail services at the Apapa port, Oche said the two-month deadline from September had not yet elapsed.

He said, “The shutdown is for two months. It is supposed to be from September 15th to November 15th. This is November 11th. We still have four days. The contractor, CCECC, is still working on it.

“The rehabilitation of the narrow gauge is still ongoing and the construction of the standard gauge is ongoing. They are making appreciable progress but they have not advised us on when it will be ready.”

Oche expressed optimism that by the 15th, the narrow gauge should have resumed movement of containers from Apapa.

He said the mass transit train from Ijoko-Iddo had begun. According to him, the train moves by 6.30am from Ijoko and 5.30pm from Iddo.

By Sylvester Idowu

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo has disclosed that the Osubi Airport would come alive in two weeks’ time.

The Minister, who dropped the news, said President Buhari has already directed the NNPC to take over the airport which is located in Uvwie Local Government area of Delta State.

Keyamo’s disclosure was in response to demands of Ovwie Kingdom, HRM. Emmanuel Sideso, Abe 1 during a visit to his palace as part of the tour of his constituency to solicit for support for the present government aftermath the #ENDSars crisis.

The Monarch had demanded the re-opening of Osubi Airport, re-construction of Warri-Benin Road, and appealed to President Buhari to direct NNPC to convert to permanent staff, the casual/support staff of the host and neighbouring communities with immediate effect.

Keyamo assured that the Osubi Airport would come alive in two weeks’ time as President Buhari has already directed the NNPC to take it over.

On the NNPC casual/support staff issue, he said it was a labour issue that a petition should be launched with his ministry.

The Minister appealed for cooperation with security agencies to arrest the current situation saying that the federal government was proud of Uvwie people for maintaining the peace during the #endsars protest and assured them that nothing would bypass them that they were entitled to.

He, further appealed to leaders to carry President Buhari’s message of peace to all parts of the country as Nigeria is one indivisible country

Responding, the monarch of Uvwie Kingdom, HRM Dr. Emmanuel E. Sideso, Abe 1 JP. OON, expressed appreciation of the effort by President Buhari to bring his message of peace to the grassroots.

“Please let the President be aware of our collective assurance to continue to sustain the peace in our Kingdom and to work assiduously for the corporate existence of our country, Nigeria,” the Uvwie monarch said.

By Wole Oyebade

Air cargo demand and movement have recorded a surge in the African region, though global demand still remains weak on account of the COVID-19 aviation disruptions.    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) in the September data for global air freight markets showed that air cargo demand, while strengthening, remains depressed compared to 2019 levels.    According to the data, African airlines saw demand increase by 9.7 per cent year-on-year in September. This was the fifth consecutive month in which the region posted the strongest increase in international demand. Investment flows along the Africa-Asia route continue to drive the regional outcomes. International capacity decreased by 24.9 per cent.

However, global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), was eight per cent below previous-year levels in September, -9.9 per cent for international operations. That is an improvement from the 12.1 per cent year-on-year drop recorded in August. Month-on-month demand grew by 3.7 per cent in September.

  
Global capacity shrank by 25.2 per cent in September, -28 per cent for international operations, compared to the previous year. That is nearly three times larger than the contraction in demand, indicating a severe lack of capacity in the market.
  
Strong regional variations are emerging with North American and African carriers reporting year-on-year gains in demand, +1.5 per cent and +9.7 per cent respectively, while all other regions remained in negative territory compared to a year earlier.
  
Improving performance is aligned with improvements in key economic indicators. The new export orders component of the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose above the 50-mark, indicating growth, for the first time since mid-2018. The World Trade Organisation revised their 2020 trade growth forecast from -12.9 per cent to -9.2 per cent.
  
IATA’s Director-General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alexandre de Juniac, noted that air cargo volumes were down in 2020, but they are a world apart from the extreme difficulties in the passenger business.
  
“For air cargo, 92 per cent of the business is still there, whereas about 90 per cent of international passenger traffic has disappeared. Favorable indicators for the peak year-end season will support the continued recovery in demand.”

“Already North American and African carriers are reporting demand gains in 2020. The challenge continues to be on capacity. As carriers adjust schedules to reflect falling passenger demand amid the resurgence of COVID-19, valuable belly capacity will be lost when it is needed the most,” de Juniac said.

  
Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand for international air cargo fall 14.6 per cent in September 2020 compared to the same month a year earlier. This was an improvement from the 16.4 per cent fall in August 2020. Demand on routes between Asia–North America and Asia–Africa were strongest. International capacity remained constrained in the region, down 32 per cent, despite airlines adding more capacity on many routes.
  
North American carriers returned to pre-crisis levels, posting a 1.5 per cent increase in international demand compared to the previous year—the first month of growth in 10 months. This strong performance was driven by the Asia-North America routes, reflecting e-commerce demand for products manufactured in Asia. The region’s domestic market also performed robustly. International capacity decreased by 19.7 per cent.
  
European carriers reported a decrease in demand of 15.7 per cent compared to the previous year. Improvements have been slight but consistent amid recovering economic activity and increasing exports, however, all major routes remained in contractionary territory. International capacity decreased 32.8 per cent.

Caribbean cruise to sail since March has reported a case of Covid-19 onboard, forcing passengers to isolate in their cabins." data-reactid="17" style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The first Caribbean cruise to sail since March has reported a case of Covid-19 onboard, forcing passengers to isolate in their cabins.

SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream 1 set sail from Barbados to the Grenadines on 7 November, with 53 passengers and 66 crew onboard.  

coronavirus test several days before departure, and another on the day the small ship set sail." data-reactid="19" style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">All those on the sailing had to take a coronavirus test several days before departure, and another on the day the small ship set sail.

Everyone tested negative the first two times.

A third test was slated for Wednesday, but prior to that a passenger tested positive after feeling unwell.

The Points Guy." data-reactid="22" style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The vessel’s captain, Torbjorn Lund, announced the positive Covid case over the intercom and told cruisers to stay in their cabins, reports Gene Sloan, a journalist onboard the ship on behalf of The Points Guy.

Non-essential crew were also told to isolate, and the decision was made to curtail the sailing and immediately return to the ship’s base in Barbados.

Guests were delivered food in their rooms by masked crew, said Mr Sloan.

All crew were tested once more for Covid-19, using the ship’s three onboard Abbott ID Now testing machines, capable of producing a result in 15 minutes. No one tested positive.

“Lund said Barbadian health authorities would board the ship after it arrived in Barbados late Wednesday, and passengers and crew would likely be tested yet again by the local authorities,” said Mr Sloan.  

He added that, although the ship had docked at the St Vincent and the Grenadine islands of Canouan and Tobago Cays, passengers had not come into contact with locals, instead landing at empty beaches for swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing.

It follows several other cases of coronavirus on cruises after the industry started tentatively reopening.

cut short after eight passengers tested positive for the virus." data-reactid="29" style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A cruise in the Mediterranean was cut short after eight passengers tested positive for the virus.

The contained outbreak occurred onboard the Costa Diadema, which set off from Genoa on 28 September and finished its voyage on 12 October, before commencing a second sailing with many of the same passengers onboard.

On the first sailing, seven travellers tested positive for Covid-19 after excursions to the Greek islands, and had to self-isolate onboard before leaving the ship at Palermo on 10 October.

Although asymptomatic, they all tested positive again once on shore.

The ship finished its original itinerary, with stops at Sardinia and Civitavecchia near Rome, before setting off for a second sailing on 12 October.

However, a new contact tracing technology being piloted by Costa identified another passenger who could be infected.

The 78-year-old man also tested positive for Covid-19.

proof of Covid negativity often required at those which are not." data-reactid="17" style="margin-bottom: 1em; color: rgb(38, 40, 42); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">These are – it doesn’t really need stating – hard times for airlines and the holiday industry. As if a virus that is approaching the first anniversary of its grip on humankind is not enough, recent weeks have seen many countries return – in varying degrees – to the lockdowns which shuttered economies and daily life in March and April. This makes travel increasingly tricky, with governments urging their citizens to stay at home, borders closed in some cases, and proof of Covid negativity often required at those which are not.

In this context, it is a surprise that any flights are operating at all. Of course, planes are still taking off, but a glance at the arrivals and departures boards for the UK’s major airports shows that airspace above the country is functioning at a fraction of normal capacity. Furthermore, what traffic there is in the skies is largely emanating from one hub: London Heathrow. Go beyond west London, however, and the roar of engines rapidly fades away – with only Manchester offering any reasonable number of services.

• What travel ban? No sign of enforcement at Britain’s busiest airport
• Lack of explicit travel ban could tempt sunseekers to holiday under false pretenses

The picture is perhaps at its most stark at London Gatwick. Ordinarily, the capital’s second airport is a hive of activity – not least at this time of year, when sun-seekers begin to swap the European winter for the beaches of the Canaries, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. In this dark corner of 2020, though, operations are pared back to a minimum, with all flights departing from the North Terminal, as the South Terminal sits mothballed.

This is largely due to the collapse in demand (and legal scope) for package breaks during this second lockdown – easyJet, for example, are all but absent from runways at present. Heathrow aside, only Ryanair is really visible at the check-in desks, with a raft of flights still heading off to (predominantly) cities in Eastern Europe – while Jet2 and TUI Airways are mopping up travellers who managed to get away before the latest limitations came in. 

This week’s news of a Covid-19 vaccine with 90 per cent efficacy has boosted hopes that this sorry situation will improve in 2021. But for now, there is very little up, up and away.

Flights still operating out of UK airports

The services below include codeshare arrangements. Therefore - for example - all American Airlines flights are also British Airways services; Delta comes under Virgin Atlantic. The listings are based on the relevant airport departure boards on November 11.

The list below is NOT exhaustive, and while correct at time of writing (November 11), it should not be used as a basis for planning a journey. If you are intending to travel in these straitened times (and cannot realistically postpone your journey until a later date), you should check the latest status of the flight directly with the airline.

London Heathrow

Aer Lingus: Dublin

Aegean Airlines: Athens

Aeroflot: Moscow

Air Canada: Montreal, Toronto

Air France: Paris

Air India: Bengalaru, Cochin, Delhi

All Nippon Airways: Tokyo

American Airlines: Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, New York JFK, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Washington DC

Austrian Airlines: Vienna

Biman Bangladesh Airlines: Dhaka

British Airways: Abuja, Accra, Amsterdam, Belfast, Bengalaru, Cape Town, Chennai, Delhi, Dubai, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Johannesburg, Kuwait, Lahore, Manchester, Moscow, Newcastle, Rome, Sao Paulo, The Seychelles, Toronto

China Airlines: Taipei

Egyptair: Cairo

Emirates: Dubai

Ethiopian Airlines: Addis Ababa

Etihad: Abu Dhabi

Eurowings: Dusseldorf, Hamburg

Finnair: Helsinki

Iberia: Madrid

KLM: Amsterdam

Korean Air: Seoul

LOT Polish Airlines: Warsaw

Lufthansa: Frankfurt, Munich

Oman Air: Muscat

Qatar Airways: Doha

Royal Air Maroc: Casablanca

Saudia: Riyadh

Scandinavian Airlines: Stockholm

Singapore Airlines: Singapore

Swiss International Airlines: Zurich

TAP: Lisbon, Porto

Turkish Airlines: Istanbul

United: Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC

Virgin Atlantic: Johannesburg, Lagos, New York JFK, Shanghai, Tel Aviv

Vistara: Delhi

London Gatwick

Air Europa: Madrid

British Airways: Bermuda, Kingston

Qatar Airways: Doha

Ryanair: Alicante, Dublin

TUI Airways: Kos

London Stansted

Jet2: Fuerteventura, Larnaca, Paphos

Loganair: Derry

Pegasus: Istanbul

Ryanair: Aarhus, Athens, Budapest, Bydgoszcz, Dublin, Faro, Kaunas, Krakow, Lanzarote, Lisbon, Lodz, Malaga, Milan, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, Perugia, Pisa, Plovdiv, Porto, Riga, Rome, Rzeszow, Sofia, Szczecin, Tenerife South, Vilnius, Wroclaw

London Luton

Ryanair: Kaunas, Malta, Tenerife South

Wizz Air: Varna

London Southend

No flights on November 11

Bristol

Blue Islands: Jersey

KLM: Amsterdam

Ryanair: Alicante, Bucharest, Faro Krakow, Wroclaw, 

Birmingham

Aer Lingus: Belfast

Jet2: Tenerife South

KLM: Amsterdam

Lufthansa: Frankfurt

Ryanair: Gdansk, Krakow, Lanzarote, Porto

Liverpool

Loganair: Isle of Man

Ryanair: Derry, Dublin, Kosice, Malaga, Paphos, Szczecin

Manchester

Aer Lingus: Belfast

Air France: Paris

Blue Islands: Aberdeen, Inverness, Isle of Man

British Airways: Heathrow

Emirates: Dubai

Jet2: Fuerteventura, Larnaca, Paphos, Tenerife South

KLM: Amsterdam

Loganair: Aberdeen

Pegasus: Istanbul

Qatar Airways: Doha

Ryanair: Berlin, Corvera, Gothenburg, Prague, Tenerife, Thessaloniki

TAP: Lisbon

TUI Airways: Fuerteventura, Sal, Sharm El Sheikh

More

Glasgow

British Airways: Heathrow

Loganair: Benbecula, Campbeltown, Islay, Stornoway

Jet2: Tenerife South

Edinburgh

Aer Lingus: Belfast

British Airways: Heathrow

KLM: Amsterdam

Loganair: Sumburgh

Ryanair: Malta, Sofia

Aberdeen

Loganair: Kirkwall, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich

TUI Airways: Tenerife South

Wideroe: Bergen

Cardiff

Blue Islands: Dublin, Shannon

KLM: Amsterdam

Ryanair: Dublin, Venice

Titan Airways: Vienna

Vueling: Alicante

Doncaster-Sheffield

Wizz Air: Bucharest

TUI Airways: Tenerife South

Leeds-Bradford

Aer Lingus: Belfast

KLM: Amsterdam

Ryanair: Alicante, Dublin, Gdansk, Malaga, Riga, Warsaw

Newcastle

British Airways: Heathrow

KLM: Amsterdam

Loganair: Aberdeen, Southampton

East Midlands

Aer Lingus: Belfast

Jet2: Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife South

Ryanair: Alicante

TUI Airways: Lanzarote

Exeter

No flights on November 11

Humberside

Eastern Airways: Teesside

KLM: Amsterdam

Southampton

Aurigny: Guernsey

Blue Islands: Jersey

Norwich

Loganair: Aberdeen

Belfast

easyJet: Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow

Ryanair: Krakow

Jet2: Lanzarote, Tenerife South

By Colin Packham

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will not allow foreign students to return as Canberra prioritises the return of locals stuck overseas, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Australia has since March closed its borders to all non-citizens and permanent residents in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19.

With foreign students worth about A$35 billion (19.29 billion pounds) a year to the Australian economy, Canberra had hoped to slowly allow overseas students to return in 2021. Trials began earlier this year.

But with thousands of Australians wanting to return, Morrison there is not enough quarantine facilities.

“There is a queue, and Australians are in the front of the queue,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

Australia caps the numbers of locals allowed to return home each week in order to minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Once locals arrive, they enter hotel quarantine for two weeks.

The policy deepens a financial black-hole facing Australian education providers, estimated to be worth between A$3.1 billion and A$4.8 billion this year alone, Catriona Jackson, Chief Executive of Universities Australia, told Reuters earlier this year.

Several leading universities have announced sweeping job cuts in a bid to reduce costs.

In October, Morrison’s government said it will spend A$1 billion to support university research amid the fall in overseas students.

Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Michael Perry

The Federal Government is set to reopen the Kano and Port Harcourt International Airports three months after it opened the Lagos and Abuja airports to international flights.

Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, said this during a briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 in Abuja on Thursday.

According to Nuhu, the two airports will be reopened when the twin issues of ICT infrastructure and adequate number of staff to man the airports have been provided.

Nuhu said the reopening of the two airports became necessary to decongest the Lagos and Abuja airports and subsequently make travels more convenient for passengers.

He said NCAA was waiting for the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) to provide the needed ICT infrastructure while the Port Health Services were already working to provide an adequate number of staff.

Nuhu did not, however, disclose the exact date of the reopening, although he said it would be soon.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Federal Government had announced the resumption of international flights from the Abuja and Lagos airports on September 5.